


Drowning

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Original Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-07-03
Updated: 2000-07-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Danny and KD finally tell their significant others what happened so long ago.





	Drowning

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

RATING: PG-13 (strong themes)  
DISCLAIMER: West wing is not mine, not my characters, except for KD Brody.  
"Brick" is by Ben Folds Five, and it's not mine.  
SUMMARY: Danny and KD finally tell their significant others what happened so  
long ago.  
NOTES: This has some strong dramatic themes in here. I never really intended  
to write this story, but I heard "Brick" recently and it just struck me for  
this storyline. I knew what happened, I just never intended to focus a story  
on it. Potentially depressing subject matter.  
SERIES: KD Brody Universe.

Danny stared at the silver pocketwatch in his hand. A week ago, KD had  
given him a birthday present for the first time in ten years. It felt good to  
be so close with her again, even if it wasn't as close as before. With a  
sigh, he stood up and grabbed his jacket. He moved out of his office and down  
the quiet hallway. Almost everyone had already gone home for the evening. He  
moved out of the House and walked down to his rusty old toyota. He climbed  
in, switched on the ignition and pulled out into the street.  
Thinking silently, he reached forward and turned on the radio. He heard  
some soft piano streaming out through the speakers and with a weak smile,  
drove his car on to the freeway. Suddenly the words began and they strangely  
hit home.

6 am day after Christmas  
I throw some clothes on in the dark  
The smell of cold  
Car seat is freezing  
The world is sleeping  
I am numb

Danny gasped weakly, remembering the song, having heard it before, and  
being struck by it every single time. He didn't know if he loved the song,  
hated it or was indifferent. He slowly took another exit and stopped in front  
of CJ's apartment. He slowly got out, turning the car off and the song, but  
its words still resounded in his head, its theme still striking home. He  
trotted up the stairs and rang the bell. Soon the door opened and he met CJ  
with a smile.  
"Hey, you ready for some take out?" He asked, his smile feeling almost  
fake, and CJ noticed.  
"Are you okay?" She asked with a frown. Danny gulped and nodded, taking  
off his jacket and hanging it up where he always did.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking . . about a lot of stuff." He replied  
softly. CJ wasn't satisfied, but she was getting used to that feeling with  
Danny. Still, she didn't like the mournful look in his eyes.  
"Seriously. What's wrong?" She asked softly. Danny sat down on her couch  
with a sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead. CJ sat next to him,  
eagerly waiting for a way that she could help him with whatever it was that  
was bothering him.  
"Just a lot of memories have been flooding back to me, you know?" He said  
finally. "I told you that, but there's something I haven't told you." He  
added looking her in the eye. CJ gulped. Was this what she'd been waiting for?  
"Do you want to tell me now?" She asked softly.  
"I talked to KD last week. She said that if I wanted to tell you, it was  
okay with her. I don't know if you really want to know, because once I tell  
you, I just..." He trailed off. CJ nodded, a little nervous and hugged him  
gently. He hugged her back and tried to breathe.

Up the stairs to the apartment  
She is balled up on the couch  
Her mom and dad went down to Charlotte  
They're not home to find us out  
And we drive  
Now that I have found someone  
I'm feeling more alone  
Than I ever have before

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Danny?" KD called as she walked into the apartment. Danny looked up from  
his newspaper and smiled.  
"Hey, baby." He replied then raised an eyebrow as he saw the look on her  
face. He stood and met her at the doorframe. "What's wrong?" She smiled  
weakly and a tear fell down her cheek.  
"I don't know. I don't know if something's wrong or something's right."  
She whispered. He frowned and wiped the tear away with his thumb.  
"What do you mean?" He asked softly.  
"I went to the doctor, Danny. I've been throwing up so much lately, I  
thought maybe I had some weird virus." She replied slowly. Danny's eyes  
widened as he listened. "Danny, I'm... " She couldn't finish, but Danny  
got the idea.  
"Are you saying..." he started. She nodded. "I'm gonna be a father?"  
He asked softly, a soft smile tugging at his lips. She smiled and nodded  
again, happy to see that he seemed happy.  
"I'd say you already are one." She replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
CJ listened closely. She was shocked. KD had never mentioned this, and  
neither had Danny. That, she supposed, was the point. But why was the whole  
thing such a big deal? People had had kids before. Then it struck her. If KD  
was pregnant, where was the child now?  
"Danny..." She said softly, tears threatening to rush to her eyes.  
Danny smiled at her weakly.  
"It was one of the happiest days of my life, CJ. I don't know if... I  
mean, I wish I could let you know how scared I am now." He whispered. She  
took him in his arms as he rested his head against his shoulder.

She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly  
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere  
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Danny growled at the street light.  
"Come on, come on, come on." He chanted through tears. His phone had rung  
only three minutes before, Leo McGarry calling with a bulletin. Danny bit his  
lip and dove for the car. However the fates seemed to be against him today.  
How could he not have been there? He was supposed to meet Katy for lunch that  
day, but he was late, as usual. Now... now, three months in, he was facing  
a disaster of the worst kind and he didn't know what to do about it.  
The light finally changed, and Danny burned rubber, surging across the  
intersection towards the hospital.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They call her name at 7:30  
I pace around the parking lot  
Then I walk down to buy her flowers  
And sell some gifts that I got

KD stared at the wall. Toby leaned in the room and found her crying. He  
frowned and walked forward to meet her gaze.  
"Katy, what's wrong?" He asked softly as he knelt down in front of her  
and took her hands in his own. She looked at him, tears streaming down her  
cheeks and then took him in a panicked hug. He hugged back tightly as she  
cried into his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel worried. He'd never seen  
her break down like this, and he didn't even know what caused it.  
"It's coming up." She whispered. "The anniversary is coming up." She  
repeated. Toby held her tight.  
"What anniversary?" He whispered. She couldn't answer, her throat too  
closed up. Instead she just hugged him tighter and broke apart.

Can't you see  
It's not me you're dying for  
Now she's feeling more alone  
Than she ever has before

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  


KD stared at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face. It hurt still.  
She felt so empty. Why didn't she see the car coming? Why did this have to  
happen to her? Where was Danny? Why wasn't he here yet? There was a knock at  
the door. She didn't look over. Leo stood and opened the door. Danny stood  
there, looking bedraggled and downtrodden. Leo didn't know what to say, so he  
just walked back to his seat while Danny walked in. He was near crying as he  
saw the woman he loved on the hospital bed.  
"Katy?" He whispered as he walked up to her bedside. She turned and  
looked at him, still crying.  
"You're late." She whispered.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Toby stared at the sleeping form of the woman he loved, mulling over  
everything she'd just told him. He couldn't believe how much it hurt him,  
even though he wasn't there when it happened. Now, her cheeks were still wet  
as she breathed unevenly, lost somewhere in a nightmare that she couldn't  
escape, a nightmare Toby didn't know how to break her free of.

She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly  
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere  
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly

CJ couldn't help but cry. Danny was staring into space while the tears  
silently fell down her cheeks. He looked at her, tears of his own brimming,  
and took her into his arms. She leaned against his shoulder.  
"I'm so sorry, Danny." She whispered.  
"So am I." Danny replied softly, trying not to remember.

As weeks went by  
It showed that she was not fine  
They told me son, it's time to tell the truth  
She broke down, and I broke down  
Cause I was tired of lying

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Katy?" Danny asked softly as he leaned into the dark room. The windows  
were closed and the lights were off. Katy sat on the bed, her back against  
the wall and her eyes staring vacantly out into space. He gulped softly and  
moved to sit on the bed, watching her carefully. "Are you okay?"  
"No. I'm really not." She admitted. Danny sighed and nodded, moving  
closer. He stopped when she tensed up.  
"It's not your fault, Katy." He whispered. She looked at him with tearful  
eyes.  
"But it is. And you can't understand the emptiness I feel, Danny. A part  
of me has died. I feel so... empty." She whispered sharply. He watched her  
and nodded. He was hurting to, but was it anything compared to what she felt?  
"Tell me about it, sweetie. Don't keep it inside." He urged.  
"I felt her living inside me, Danny. And now she's gone. I don't know . .  
. I can't deal with this." She said finally.  
"What do you mean?" He asked suddenly, worried. She looked at him,  
matching his gaze with steel eyes, eyes that had no light in them. Eyes that  
had gone to the edge of death and were now struggling to come back.  
"I think I'm going to Los Angeles. I can't stay here any more, Danny. I  
don't feel sane. I don't feel the same. You know you don't either." She said  
softly. He gulped, knowing she was right, but not wanting to admit it.  
"Things don't have to have changed." He tried.  
"But they have. I have a job opportunity in LA, and I'm going to take it.  
You're better off here." She added quietly. Danny nodded, still staring at  
her. Was this really happening.  
"I do love you, Katy." He whispered.  
"I love you too. But I can't..." She trailed off. He nodded.  
Things were over. She left three days later.

  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Driving home to her apartment  
For a moment we're alone  
Yeah she's alone  
I'm alone  
Now I know it

Danny stared at the wall. It was done. CJ knew and there was no more room  
for secrecy. Ten years ago, ten years ago this friday, Katy was hit by a car  
on her way home from lunch. A lunch that Danny was supposed to have met her  
for, but never arrived. The accident resulted in a concussion, a broke wrist  
and the miscarriage of their three-month along daughter.  
"Are you okay, Danny?" CJ whispered. He looked at her and smiled.  
"I feel better, yes." He admitted. "I feel good to get it out of my  
system. The question becomes, how do you feel? Do you regret wanting to know?  
Did I make a mistake?" He asked softly.  
"No. I'm glad you told me." She assured him. He smiled and held her  
close. She snuggled into his chest. "Are you?" She asked suddenly.  
"Yes, I am." He replied honestly.

When KD opened her eyes again, she saw Toby's face on the pillow next to  
her. She glanced at the clock to see that it was nearly eleven at night. She  
snuggled close to him and felt his breath slowly beating against her  
forehead. He opened his eyes and smiled at her, reaching his hand up to  
stroke her cheek where the tears had dried.  
"Hey, you." He whispered. She smiled back and snuggled even closer.  
"Hey, back." She replied softly.  
"Feel better?" He asked tentatively.  
"Yes, much." She replied, her fingers tracing across the buttons of his  
shirt. He glanced down at them and smirked, looking up at her.  
"I'm glad." He admitted. She smiled and kissed him, clutching the collar  
of his shirt and pulling him on to her.

She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly  
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere  
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly  


"David, what have I got today?" KD asked as she stepped into her bullpen.  
David looked up from his agenda and smiled.  
"You have meetings. Right now, someone's waiting to see you in your  
office. I'll get you your agenda in a minute, now that you're here." He  
replied. She grinned and patted him on the shoulder.  
"Caught you off guard, huh?" She teased as she stepped into her office.  
She stopped short when she saw Danny on her couch. She closed the door and  
sat next to him. "Hi there." She whispered.  
"Hi." He replied. They looked at each other, silently communicating with  
their eyes. Suddenly, he pulled out a small white rose and handed it to her.  
"Memorium." He explained. She sniffled and hugged him.  
"I know." She replied softly.

The End.....

Comments? Questions?

  


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